Not sure where you live, but in the US, options are typically granted with a strike price equal to the latest 409A valuation, which makes the grant neutral from a tax standpoint.
I don't see a world where you have to pay lots of taxes for worthless options, unless someone really screwed-up (i.e. messed up the 409 Safe Harbor election etc...)
Now... if you exercise the option, that is a different story. At least in theory you would only exercise if things went well and the stock went up vs the strike, which makes sense why one would have to pay taxes then.
I don't see a world where you have to pay lots of taxes for worthless options, unless someone really screwed-up (i.e. messed up the 409 Safe Harbor election etc...)
Now... if you exercise the option, that is a different story. At least in theory you would only exercise if things went well and the stock went up vs the strike, which makes sense why one would have to pay taxes then.